PHOENIX, Ariz. — Alabama’s front-seven gets all of the attention, and rightfully so. They’re deep, productive and extremely talented.

Clemson co-offensive coordinator Tony Elliott said 12 different players put their hand on the ground and log snaps along the Tide d-line.

“You see those guys every game and in critical situations, too. They’ve got a lot of confidence in those guys, and they’ve got those linebackers,” Elliott said. “So, what happens, the front four and (Reggie) Ragland make the plays before it gets to the secondary. You don’t just get a lot of talk about those guys.”

Strong safety Eddie Jackson, who moved from cornerback before the season, leads Alabama with five interceptions. Elliott said cornerback senior Cyrus Jones is “as good as anybody in the country.

“I don’t know if he’s ranked up there nationally with the guys, but he’s as good as anybody I’ve seen on tape,” Elliott said. “Obviously, him and Jalen Ramsey are the two best corners we’ll play all year.”

Freshman Minkah Fitzpatrick plays the ‘Star’ position, the Tide’s nomenclature for the nickel/SAM spot. He returned two interceptions for touchdowns against Texas A&M. Jackson had one, too.

Redshirt freshman Marlon Humphrey, the other starting cornerback, was ranked by Rivals as the No. 2 cornerback in the class of 2014.

“Marlon Humphrey is a guy that you’re starting to see gain confidence throughout the course of the season, coming into his own,” Elliott said. “Then, Eddie Jackson played a lot for them as a corner, now he’s back there at safety. Then, watching Geno Smith run the alley, he runs the alley about as physical and as tough as anybody I’ve seen all year at that safety position. There’s no drop off.”

Jeff Scott’s wide receivers will have their work cut out for them.

“Those guys in the back are very talented. I think they’ll be the best secondary that we face all year,” he said. “Both of the corners are high-level, elite guys, guys that can really run, have great ball skills. You have to search to find a lot of video of guys completing passes, making a lot of plays on them.

“Every play, a catch the guys make is a contested catch, where the guy’s there. It’s just a 1-on-1 and the receiver makes the play with a guy on his back, so there’s not many wide-open receivers running down the field.

“They’re going to make you earn every inch. That’s why they are who they are, one of the top, if not the top defense in the country, because they’ve got great guys on the front end and great guys on the back end.”

That’s to be expected out of a team coached by Nick Saban, who’s background is in the secondary.

They’re all on the same page. They talk to each other. They’re next play kind of guys. If you do get a big play on them, there’s no bad body language. It’s just on to the next play. You can see that they’re just well-coached, very confident,” Elliott said.